Method and device for providing assistance during a parking maneuver of a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A method for providing assistance during a parking maneuver of a motor vehicle into a parking space. The parking space and a boundary object located in the area of the parking space being detected by a sensor array while the vehicle is driving by the parking space. To simplify the parking maneuver, a boundary object type is assigned to the detected boundary object, and parking information relating to the feasibility of a parking maneuver into the parking space is generated. Furthermore, a device for providing assistance during a parking maneuver of a motor vehicle, into a parking space, having a sensor array for detecting a parking space and a boundary object located in the area of the parking space while the vehicle is driving by the parking space, having an analyzer unit connected to the sensor array, and having a memory unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/991,875, filed on Aug. 11, 2009, which is a national phaseapplication based on international application PCT/EP2006/065230, filedon Aug. 10, 2006, which claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C.§119 to German Patent Application No. 10 2005 044 270.6, filed on Sep.16, 2005, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for providing assistanceduring a parking maneuver of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle,into a parking space, the parking space being detected when the vehicledrives past the parking space and a boundary object situated in the areaof the parking space being detected by a sensor array. Furthermore, thepresent invention relates to a device, in particular for performing amethod as defined above, for providing assistance during a parkingmaneuver of a vehicle, in particular of a motor vehicle, into a parkingspace having a sensor array for detecting a parking space and a boundaryobject situated in the area of the parking space while the vehicle isdriving by the parking space and having an analyzer unit connected tothe sensor array and having a memory unit.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The method defined above is, for example, a method conventionally knownas part of Parking Space Localization (PSL), which assists a driver asthe operator of a motor vehicle in searching for a parking space largeenough for his vehicle in view of its geometric dimensions. Parkingspace localization may cooperate with an apparatus for semiautomaticparking, in which the driver must operate the gas pedal and the brakepedal of the vehicle, but steering of the vehicle may be performedeither by the driver or automatically. The device defined above may be,for example, such an apparatus as that mentioned above, which guides themotor vehicle into a selected parking space and is known by the termsemi-autonomous parking assistant (SPA). The semi-autonomous parkingassistant calculates a suitable trajectory for parking the vehicle inthe parking space and informs the driver, e.g., with the help ofacoustic signals, about action he may take to satisfactorily park thevehicle in the parking space. One principle here is that the vehiclemust not drive over front, rear, or side parking space boundaries thatform boundary objects. This may also require intervention by the driverbased on his own perception and judgment.

In addition, DE 102 57 722 A1 discusses a parking assistant for avehicle in which a measurement unit is provided for detecting parkingspaces while the vehicle is driving by the parking spaces. The parkingassistant has a memory unit for storing properties of parking spaces andan output unit for output of information about the parking spaces. Theoutput unit may have a display surface, and which may be only parkingspaces which are suitable for parking the vehicle based on size will bedisplayed on the display surface. Unsuitable parking spaces should ormay be suppressed in the display and their data should be deleted fromthe memory unit. There is no differentiation with regard to possibleboundary objects bordering the parking space.

DE 100 45 616 A1 discusses a method for automatic parking of a motorvehicle, whereby a parking space is measured, a parking strategy iscalculated, and this information is conveyed to the driver of thevehicle. In this method, the environment of the vehicle is recorded by avideo camera and displayed on a display screen. The driver should beable to select a desired parking space to be approached by touching thedisplay screen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the exemplary embodiments and/or exemplary methods of thepresent invention is to provide a method of the type defined above thatwill further simplify the parking maneuver and make it more reliable. Inaddition, the object of the exemplary embodiments and/or exemplarymethods of the present invention is to create a device for simpler andmore reliable performance of the parking maneuver.

The first object is achieved according to the exemplary embodimentsand/or exemplary methods of the present invention with a method of thetype defined above, a boundary object type being assigned to theboundary object detected and parking information about the feasibilityof a parking maneuver into the parking space being generated as afunction of the assigned boundary object type and the position of theboundary object in the area of the parking space.

The second object defined above is achieved according to the exemplaryembodiments and/or exemplary methods of the present invention by adevice of the type defined above, boundary object types being stored inthe memory unit and parking information about the feasibility of aparking maneuver into the parking space being generated by the analyzerunit as a function of an assignment of one of the stored boundary objecttypes to the detected boundary object and as a function of the positionof the boundary object in the area of the parking space.

The exemplary embodiments and/or exemplary methods of the presentinvention is suitable in general for motor vehicles. It may be usedparticularly well for motor vehicles, namely for both passenger vehiclesand commercial vehicles, because of the dwindling amount of parkingspace available, in particular in the public transportation area. Theexemplary embodiments and/or exemplary methods of the present inventionmay be part of a semi-autonomous parking assistant for a motor vehicle.With the method according to the present invention, parking informationis advantageously generated by differentiating the boundary object withregard to various types of boundary objects and at the same time takinginto account the geometric position, i.e., the geometric coordinates ofthe boundary object in the area of the parking space, this informationincluding a qualitative statement about the parking space.

In this way, the parking information, which in a simple case includesone of the two statements “parking possible” or “parking impossible,”may take into account, for example, the fact that a boundary object ofthe tree type is accepted as a front parking space boundary but is notacceptable as a rear parking space boundary or is acceptable only whenthere is a much greater parking space length than the length of thevehicle, so that access to the trunk of the vehicle is not hindered.According to another example, it is possible with the exemplaryembodiments and/or exemplary methods of the present invention to takeinto account the fact that a curb intersecting the center of the parkingspace, essentially representing a not insurmountable obstacle for thevehicle, results in inadequate suitability of that parking space if thevehicle has wheels with light metal rims that are susceptible to damage.

In addition to the quantitative inspection of the parking space knownfrom the related art based only on the geometric dimensions of theparking space, the exemplary embodiments and/or exemplary methods of thepresent invention in comparison with the related art ensures thatadditional circumstances pertaining to the parking space will also betaken into account, in particular the topography of the parking space.The exemplary embodiments and/or exemplary methods of the presentinvention advantageously also takes into account the qualitativecharacteristics of the parking space. With the exemplary embodimentsand/or exemplary methods of the present invention, the entire parkingscene including the parking space is interpreted and it is subsequentlypossible to decide on the basis of this interpretation whether apotential parking space is actually suitable for a parking maneuver.

The area of the parking space in which boundary objects are taken intoaccount according to the exemplary embodiments and/or exemplary methodsof the present invention includes not only the parking space in thenarrower sense, i.e., the actual footprint claimed directly by thevehicle after parking, but also its indirect environment, including theparking space boundaries. The term “boundary object” in general meansthat this is an object that is potentially suitable for limiting orrestricting a parking maneuver into that parking space. Accordingly, itneed not necessarily be an object that is a parking space boundary inthe geometric sense, e.g., a side wall. Various predetermined boundaryobject types may be stored in a memory unit, for example, such as thatprovided in the device according to the present invention.

There may be essentially any type and number of boundary object types;for example, boundary object types may include: passenger vehicle,truck, bicycle or motorcycle, tree, bush, shrub, hedge, post, lamp post,curb, manhole cover, wall, fence, railing, building material, trench,mailbox, trashcan, a pillar for placards, a building, tree guard,bicycle stand, flower basket, traffic island, person. A catalog ofboundary object types stored in the memory unit may be variable andsupplementable. The parking information may be, for example, in the formof a signal—optionally to be processed further—to the analyzer unit,which may also include the aforementioned memory unit, of the deviceaccording to the present invention or to a display unit in a passengerspace of the vehicle. In the simplest case, e.g., when the parking spacedoes not appear to be suitable for parking because of the type andposition of the boundary objects, the parking information may include,for example, the fact that there is no signal. On the whole, the methodand the device according to the present invention increase thereliability and precision of the assistance in the parking maneuver.

Unsuccessful parking attempts and those that do not lead to the intendedgoal are ruled out with the exemplary embodiments and/or exemplarymethods of the present invention, and the vehicle and operator, inparticular the driver of the vehicle, are treated as gently as possible.The exemplary embodiments and/or exemplary methods of the presentinvention avoids messages to the driver about parking spaces that maynot be used, although at first glance they might seem suitable forparking merely on the basis of their geometric dimensions.

The parking information may advantageously be made more precise if thearea of the parking space is subdivided into several segments and if,for each segment, a boundary object type is assigned to a boundaryobject detected in that segment.

If the area of the parking space is subdivided into an arrangement of3×3 segments, this is particularly advantageous for comprehensiveinformation about the parking space while at the same time having acomparatively low detection and processing complexity. Such anarrangement may be illustrated by a 3×3 matrix, for example, for simplefurther processing. The central segment in the middle may include theactual footprint forming the potential space for parking, and thesurrounding eight segments include the front, rear, and side parkingspace boundaries including the parking space boundary corners.

For a particularly high informational content and to make the parkinginformation even more precise, it is advantageous if a parking spacepattern of the parking space, including all segments, each with theassigned boundary object type, is compared with acceptable parking spacepatterns, and if the parking information is generated as a function ofthe comparison of the parking space pattern with the acceptable parkingspace patterns. The acceptable parking space patterns may be stored inthe memory unit. The parking space patterns may each be described in asimple manner by a numerical sequence, a position in the numericalsequence indicating an assigned segment of the area of the parking spaceand a number at that position indicating the boundary object type of aboundary object situated in that segment. The acceptable parking spacepatterns may be stored in the memory unit in the form of a look-up tableincluding all conceivable acceptable parking space patterns. This isadvantageous in particular when the number of possible interpretationsof a parking scene is comparatively low, despite a comparatively largenumber of possible boundary object types.

The method according to the present invention is adaptable particularlywell and automatically, e.g., to changing ambient conditions, if aparking space pattern of the parking space including the boundary objecttype assigned in each case is compared with acceptable relationships ofboundary object types of several boundary objects detected in the areaof the parking space and if the parking information is generated as afunction of the comparison of the parking space pattern with theacceptable relationships of boundary object types. It is thus possibleto avoid merely storing a limited number of acceptable parking spacepatterns in the memory unit. Use of defined rules which describe theacceptable relationships is advantageous if an increase in the quantityof acceptable boundary object types is necessary and/or desired.

A parking scene may be interpreted in such a way that an arrangementlike that described by an n-tupel [A, K] is assumed, where A denotes thequantity of all detected boundary objects and K is the quantity ofrelationships between the elements of quantity A, where A describes therelationships of the boundary objects with regard to a contextualinfluence on the individual boundary objects. The possible combinations,which may be parameterizable, of assignments of boundary objects topossible interpretations (suitable/not suitable for a parking maneuver)are assessed by the quantity K of relationships. In a first step, thequantity of boundary object types that are acceptable as a longitudinalboundary of a parking space and are acceptable as a side boundary for aparking space is to be specified.

Generous adaptation to individual wishes and requirements of an operatorof a vehicle may be advantageously achieved in that at least a portionof the acceptable parking space pattern is specified by an operator of avehicle before detection of the parking space. The operator may specifya complete parking space pattern or may limit himself to informationthat he considers especially important, e.g., to rule out thesuitability of a parking space when there is a hedge in a segmentcovering a parking space boundary on the longitudinal side of thevehicle to avoid scratching the vehicle when parking, for example. Atthe same time, however, a hedge may be accepted as a front and/or rearparking space boundary.

It is conceivable that the parking information thereby generated is usedonly in the analyzer unit for further processing and assistance in theparking maneuver. However, it is of particular advantage for acomprehensive message of parking options to be transmitted to theoperator of the vehicle when the parking information is transmitted tothe operator of the vehicle. The information may be transmitted visuallyand/or acoustically.

Starting from this parking information, a parking trajectory into theparking space is advantageously determined by the analyzer unit inparticular. If the parking space is unsuitable for parking,determination of the parking trajectory will not usually involvedetermination of a parking trajectory and this circumstance mayadditionally be imparted to the operator of the vehicle via an outputmeans.

It is advantageous for easy operability of the device according to thepresent invention and adaptation of the device to the individual wishesand needs of an operator if an input means for input of at least part ofan acceptable parking space pattern into the memory unit by an operatorof the vehicle is provided. The input means may include, for example, akeypad and/or a touch screen and/or a voice input device.

For comprehensive information for the operator of the vehicle, outputmeans that may include, for example, a display screen and/or aloudspeaker would be advantageous for transmitting the parkinginformation to the operator of the vehicle.

For high operating reliability with an inexpensive design of the deviceaccording to the present invention at the same time, it is advantageousif the sensor array has at least one distance measuring sensor, inparticular an ultrasonic sensor.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown schematicallyin the drawings and are described in greater detail below, with thecorresponding elements in all figures being labeled with the samereference numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first parking situation involving a vehicle having adevice for assisting in a parking maneuver of the vehicle into a parkingspace.

FIG. 2 shows a second parking situation involving a vehicle and aparking space.

FIG. 3 shows a third parking situation involving a vehicle and a parkingspace.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth parking situation involving a vehicle and aparking space.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a parking situation involving a vehicle 1 designed as apassenger vehicle and having a device 2 for assisting in a parkingmaneuver of vehicle 1 into a parking space 3 located at the side ofvehicle 1. In the area of parking space 3 there is a first boundaryobject 4 which forms a lateral parking space boundary, boundary object 4being a curb 5 here. In addition, a second boundary object 6 forming afront parking space boundary and a third boundary object 7 forming arear parking space boundary are also situated in the area of parkingspace 3. Boundary objects 6 and 7 mentioned last each pertain to avehicle that has already parked at curb 5.

Device 2 for assisting in the parking maneuver of vehicle 1 has a sensorarray 8 which may have two distance measuring sensors 9, 11 designed asultrasonic sensors mounted on the side of vehicle 1 for detecting theenvironment of vehicle 1, sensors 9, 11 being located here in the frontarea of vehicle 1. In addition and only as a supplement, two additionalsensors 10, 12 are also provided in the rear-end area of vehicle 1 inthis exemplary embodiment. Sensor array 8 is used in particular todetect parking space 3 and boundary objects 4, 6, 7 located in the areaof parking space 3 while vehicle 1 is driving by parking space 3.Furthermore, device 2 is provided with an analyzer unit 13 connected tosensor array 8 and to a memory unit 14 located on analyzer unit 13.

Boundary object types for classification of detected boundary objects 4,6, 7 are stored in memory unit 14. Parking information with regard tothe feasibility of a parking maneuver of vehicle 1 into parking space 3may be generated by analyzer unit 13 as a function of an assignment ofstored boundary object types to detected boundary objects 4, 6, 7 and asa function of the position of boundary objects 4, 6, 7 in the area ofparking space 3.

Device 2 for supporting the parking maneuver of vehicle 1 into parkingspace 3 operates in such a way that while vehicle 1 is driving byparking space 3, parking space 3 and boundary objects 4, 6, 7 located inthe area of parking space 3 are detected by sensor array 8, which isconnected to analyzer unit 13 and memory unit 14. Next, one of theboundary object types stored in memory unit 14 is assigned to eachdetected boundary object 4, 6, 7 by analyzer unit 13. Parkinginformation regarding the feasibility of a parking maneuver into parkingspace 3 is generated next by analyzer unit 13 as a function of theassigned boundary object types and the particular position of boundaryobjects 4, 6, 7 in the area of parking space 3.

The generated parking information is transmitted acoustically and/orvisually to an operator of vehicle 1, in particular a driver of vehicle1, via an output means 15 having a loudspeaker 16 and/or a displayscreen 17. On the other hand, the parking information is used todetermine a parking trajectory 18 of vehicle 1 into parking space 3 byanalyzer unit 13. Display screen 13 is located in an operator's panel19, which may also include input means 20 for manual processing of thecontents of memory unit 14 according to the present exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates another example of a parking situation. A vehicle 1corresponding to vehicle 1 according to FIG. 1 and having a device forassisting in a parking maneuver of vehicle 1 drives by a parking space 3on a trajectory 22 in a forward direction indicated by an arrow 21. Asensor 11 of a sensor array (not shown further here) mounted in thefront right corner area of vehicle 1 uses a sensor beam 23 to detectparking space 3 and boundary objects 4, 6, 7 located in the area ofparking space 3, namely a curb 5 running through the center of parkingspace 3 as a first boundary object 4, a passenger vehicle already parkedin front of parking space 3 as a second boundary object 6, and apassenger vehicle already parked behind parking space 3 as a thirdboundary object 7.

An analyzer unit of the device for assisting in the parking maneuver ofvehicle 1 subdivides the area of parking space 3 into several segmentsS0-S8, namely an arrangement of 3×3 segments. For each of nine segmentsS0-S8, a boundary object type stored in the memory unit of theaforementioned device is assigned to a boundary object detected in theparticular segment. A catalog of boundary object types stored in thememory unit has the following content in this exemplary embodiment, withone of code numbers 0-7 being assigned to each object type:

Boundary object empty = 0 Boundary object passenger vehicle = 1 Boundaryobject curb = 2 Boundary object motorcycle = 3 Boundary object person =4 Boundary object round object = 5 Boundary object shrub = 6 Boundaryobject truck = 7

It should be pointed out in particular that the boundary object may alsobe of the object type “empty” (corresponding to code number 0), so thata boundary object type may be assigned to each segment. Code number 0 isassigned when no boundary object is present in the particular segment.

FIG. 2 shows the assignment of code numbers to individual segments in amatrix M. The contents of matrix M may be given as a numerical sequence[2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] which reflects the actual parking space pattern inthe parking situation according to FIG. 2 as the actual status of thepresent parking situation.

The actual parking space pattern is compared with acceptable parkingspace patterns stored in the memory unit in the form of a table, whichis conventionally known as a look-up table. The look-up table in thisexample has the following contents:

[0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] [0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0] . . . [2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] . . .[2 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] . . . [2 5 5 2 0 0 0 0 0] [2 5 5 2 0 0 2 2 2]

It is apparent here that the actual parking space pattern corresponds toone of the acceptable parking space patterns. Consequently, the analyzerunit of the device for assisting in a parking maneuver of vehicle 1generates parking information indicating the feasibility of a parkingmaneuver into parking space 3. In this example, the acceptability ofdriving over curb 5 in central segment S0 of the area of parking space 3is assumed.

It is essentially conceivable that before detection of parking space 3,at least a part of an acceptable parking space pattern is predeterminedby an operator, in particular a driver, of vehicle 1 via an input means20 (see FIG. 1) of the device for assisting in a parking maneuver ofvehicle 1 and is stored in the memory unit. The operator would then beable to remove the parking space pattern in this example from thelook-up table to reduce the risk of damage to rims on his vehicle 1.

FIG. 3 shows a third parking situation in a diagram similar to that ofFIG. 2. Reference is made to FIG. 2 with regard to correspondingelements. In deviation from the example according to FIG. 2, a roundobject 24 is situated in the central segment S0 of the area of a parkingspace 3 in the example according to FIG. 3 and a curb 5 forms a sideparking space boundary.

The catalog of boundary object types corresponds to that in theexemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2. The actual parking spacepattern according to FIG. 3 is described by numerical sequence [5 1 1 22 2 0 0 0]. The look-up table has the following contents:

[0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] [0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0] . . . [0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] . . .[2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] . . . [2 5 5 2 0 0 0 0 0] [2 5 5 2 0 0 2 2 2]

The actual parking space pattern here is not contained in the look-uptable. The analyzer unit generates parking information stating thatparking in parking space 3 is impossible.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth parking situation in a diagram like those ofpreceding FIGS. 2, 3. With regard to corresponding elements, referenceis made to the description of these FIGS. 2, 3.

In the example according to FIG. 4, an opening 25 appears at the levelof a parking space 3. The catalog of boundary object types correspondsto that of the exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 2, 3. The actualparking space pattern according to FIG. 4 is described by numericalsequence [0 1 1 0 2 2 0 0 0]. The look-up table has the followingcontents:

[0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] [0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0] . . . [0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] . . .[2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0] . . . [2 5 5 2 0 0 0 0 0] [2 5 5 2 0 0 2 2 2]

Again in this exemplary embodiment, the actual parking space pattern isnot contained in the look-up table. The analyzer unit generates parkinginformation indicating that parking in parking space 3 is impossible.This avoids parking of a vehicle 1 in parking space 3 which wouldinterfere with traffic flow. In particular, however—as also in theexample according to FIG. 3—the driver of vehicle 1 is relieved becausehe is not bombarded with too much information about a parking space 3that would presumably be suitable for parking because of its geometricdimensions by the device installed in vehicle 1 to assist in a parkingmaneuver in a situation in which the driver himself would then have torecognize parking space 3 as unsuitable and disregard it. The methoddescribed above for generating parking information taking into accountthe type and position of boundary objects thus avoids unnecessarydistraction of the driver.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for assisting in a parking maneuver fora motor vehicle into a parking space, the method comprising: driving thevehicle by a parking space; while the vehicle is driving by the parkingspace, detecting the parking space and a boundary object located in anarea of the parking space by a sensor array; assigning, using aprocessor, a boundary object type to the detected boundary object; andgenerating, using the processor, parking information about a feasibilityof a parking maneuver into the parking space as a function of theassigned boundary object type and a position of the boundary object inthe area of the parking space; wherein the area of the parking space issubdivided into a plurality of segments and, for each segment, aboundary object type is assigned to a corresponding boundary objectdetected in the segments, and wherein the area of the parking space issubdivided into an arrangement of 3×3 segments.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein before a parking space is detected, at least part of anacceptable parking space pattern is predetermined by a user of thevehicle.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the parking information istransmitted to the user of the vehicle.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein a parking trajectory into the parking space is determined basedon the parking information.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein a parkingspace pattern of the parking space including all segments having aparticular assigned boundary object type is compared to acceptableparking space patterns, and the parking information is generated as afunction of the comparison of the parking space pattern to theacceptable parking space patterns.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein aparking space pattern of the parking space that includes all thesegments having the particular assigned boundary object type is comparedto acceptable relationships of boundary object types of a plurality ofboundary objects detected in the areas of the parking space to oneanother, and the parking information is generated as a function of thecomparison of the parking space pattern to the acceptable relationshipsof boundary object types.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein beforedetection of the parking space, at least part of an acceptable parkingspace pattern is predetermined, wherein the parking information istransmitted to the user of the vehicle, and wherein a parking trajectoryinto the parking space is determined based on the parking information.8. A method for assisting in a parking maneuver for a motor vehicle intoa parking space, the method comprising: driving the vehicle by a parkingspace; while the vehicle is driving by the parking space, detecting theparking space and a boundary object located in an area of the parkingspace by a sensor array; assigning, using a processor, a boundary objecttype to the detected boundary object; and generating, using theprocessor, parking information about a feasibility of a parking maneuverinto the parking space as a function of the assigned boundary objecttype and a position of the boundary object in the area of the parkingspace; wherein the area of the parking space is subdivided into aplurality of segments and, for each segment, a boundary object type isassigned to a corresponding boundary object detected in the segments,and wherein a parking space pattern of the parking space including allsegments having a particular assigned boundary object type is comparedto acceptable parking space patterns, and the parking information isgenerated as a function of the comparison of the parking space patternto the acceptable parking space patterns.
 9. A method for assisting in aparking maneuver for a motor vehicle into a parking space, the methodcomprising: driving the vehicle by a parking space; while the vehicle isdriving by the parking space, detecting the parking space and a boundaryobject located in an area of the parking space by a sensor array;assigning, using a processor, a boundary object type to the detectedboundary object; and generating, using the processor, parkinginformation about a feasibility of a parking maneuver into the parkingspace as a function of the assigned boundary object type and a positionof the boundary object in the area of the parking space; wherein thearea of the parking space is subdivided into a plurality of segmentsand, for each segment, a boundary object type is assigned to acorresponding boundary object detected in the segments, and wherein aparking space pattern of the parking space that includes all thesegments having the particular assigned boundary object type is comparedto acceptable relationships of boundary object types of a plurality ofboundary objects detected in the areas of the parking space to oneanother, and the parking information is generated as a function of thecomparison of the parking space pattern to the acceptable relationshipsof boundary object types.
 10. A device for assisting in a parkingmaneuver of a motor vehicle into a parking space, comprising: a sensorarray for detecting a parking space and a boundary object located in anarea of the parking space while the vehicle is driving by the parkingspace; an analyzer unit connected to the sensor array and having amemory unit, the boundary object types being stored in the memory unit,to generate parking information about a feasibility of a parkingmaneuver into the parking space as a function of an assignment of one ofthe stored boundary object types to the detected boundary object and ofa position of the boundary object in the area of the parking space;wherein the area of the parking space is subdivided into a plurality ofsegments and, for each segment, a boundary object type is assigned to acorresponding boundary object detected in the segments, wherein the areaof the parking space is subdivided into an arrangement of 3×3 segments,and wherein a parking space pattern of the parking space including allsegments having a particular assigned boundary object type is comparedto acceptable parking space patterns, and the parking information isgenerated as a function of the comparison of the parking space patternto the acceptable parking space patterns.
 11. The device of claim 10,wherein there is an input arrangement for input of at least a portion ofan acceptable parking space pattern into the memory unit by a user ofthe vehicle.
 12. The device of claim 10, wherein there is an outputarrangement for transmitting the parking information to the user of thevehicle.
 13. The device of claim 10, wherein the sensor array has atleast one distance measuring sensor.
 14. The device of claim 10, whereinthere is an input arrangement for input of at least a portion of anacceptable parking space pattern into the memory unit, and wherein thereis an output arrangement for transmitting the parking information to theuser of the vehicle.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the sensorarray has at least one distance measuring sensor.
 16. A device forassisting in a parking maneuver of a motor vehicle into a parking space,comprising: a sensor array for detecting a parking space and a boundaryobject located in an area of the parking space while the vehicle isdriving by the parking space; an analyzer unit connected to the sensorarray and having a memory unit, the boundary object types being storedin the memory unit, to generate parking information about a feasibilityof a parking maneuver into the parking space as a function of anassignment of one of the stored boundary object types to the detectedboundary object and of a position of the boundary object in the area ofthe parking space; wherein the area of the parking space is subdividedinto a plurality of segments and, for each segment, a boundary objecttype is assigned to a corresponding boundary object detected in thesegments, wherein the area of the parking space is subdivided into anarrangement of 3×3 segments, and wherein a parking space pattern of theparking space that includes all the segments having the particularassigned boundary object type is compared to acceptable relationships ofboundary object types of a plurality of boundary objects detected in theareas of the parking space to one another, and the parking informationis generated as a function of the comparison of the parking spacepattern to the acceptable relationships of boundary object types.
 17. Adevice for assisting in a parking maneuver of a motor vehicle into aparking space, comprising: a sensor array for detecting a parking spaceand a boundary object located in an area of the parking space while thevehicle is driving by the parking space; an analyzer unit connected tothe sensor array and having a memory unit, the boundary object typesbeing stored in the memory unit, to generate parking information about afeasibility of a parking maneuver into the parking space as a functionof an assignment of one of the stored boundary object types to thedetected boundary object and of a position of the boundary object in thearea of the parking space; wherein the area of the parking space issubdivided into a plurality of segments and, for each segment, aboundary object type is assigned to a corresponding boundary objectdetected in the segments, and wherein a parking space pattern of theparking space including all segments having a particular assignedboundary object type is compared to acceptable parking space patterns,and the parking information is generated as a function of the comparisonof the parking space pattern to the acceptable parking space patterns.18. The device of claim 17, wherein a parking space pattern of theparking space that includes all the segments having the particularassigned boundary object type is compared to acceptable relationships ofboundary object types of a plurality of boundary objects detected in theareas of the parking space to one another, and the parking informationis generated as a function of the comparison of the parking spacepattern to the acceptable relationships of boundary object types.